The conditions in which he found himself were excellent, and against the backdrop of the poverty and hunger of the population among whom he found himself, he could indeed be grateful to providence for having placed him in the ranks of the army.
Mention must also be made of the business the soldiers did. The material situation of Europe under German occupation was extremely difficult. Europe was plundered. Everything that represented any value was meticulously exported by the Germans. Production of necessities stopped. All over Europe it was impossible to get materials for clothes, shoes, underwear and so on. Any such thing could be sold for a lot of money. In addition, tyres, inner tubes for cars and bicycles were in great demand.
The poorest was the Netherlands, which the Germans stripped bare of everything. There was also no food. Coffee, tea were articles at the price of gold. Added to this was a combination of currency trading. The Dutch guilder had almost no value at all.
Kazimierz Duda - War Chronicles - 11 January to 26 April 1945 - Page 119
Translation from French version: Steven Duda